El Malpais national monument
The El Malpais National Monument is land of contrast where sharp lava meets smooth sandstone. The name El Malpais means "the Badlands" in Spanish and the pronunciation is el-mal-pie-EES. What we liked about this area near Grants, NM is the amount of things they have to explore. We started by finding our campsite at Joe Skeen Campground off Hwy 117. The first and closest place to explore was the Sandstone Bluffs Overlook. Map
It was a blast to climb on this huge sandstone formation and see the surrounding basin below full of sharp lava flows from 3,900 years ago to 200,000 years ago. It would be fatal to try and walk across these flows and I would never try it.
LAVA FLOWS
These lands held the cultures like the Acoma, Zuni, Laguna, and Ramah Navajo for thousands of years, and many of the old traditions are still held today. You will find old home sights, petroglyphs and several trails highlighting the different lava flows of the area. Here are some of the images from our hike on the top of the lava in the Lava Falls area and to many old home sites.
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the ice cave
The Ice Cave is situated on the Continental Divide with old growth Junipers, Douglas Fir, Ponderosa Pine and the short trail runs over an ancient lava flow. The cave is located in a section of a Bandera Volcano lava tube. The floor of ice is about 20 feet thick and gets thicker with snow melt and rainfall. Once reaching the floor the temperatures drop to 31 degrees F. The oldest ice dates back to 1,100 BC and was known by the Pueblo Indians and used by many people living in the area.
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The bandera volcanoAbout 10,000 years ago the Bandera Volcano had a violent rise and is one of the finest examples of an eruption. The volcano had two stages of eruptions and is one of the largest easy access cinder cone in the area. The crater is at 8,372 elevation and 800 feet deep. We enjoyed the easy hike to the crater and seeing all the surrounding Ponderosa Pines and lava flows. |